Ancient Mudora
''Ancient Mudora ''refers to the land before Hyrule Kingdom was established. The surface world consisted of several small and primitive tribes of humans, Gorons, parella, and many others. From creation until the events of Skyward Sword, this land belonged to no one and everyone, and many of its inhabitants led rather uncivilized lifestyles. A group of humans who called themselves Hylians, for they worshipped the Goddess Hylia, fought to defend their sacred Triforce against the onslaught of evildoers who would seek it for their own personal power. This conflict eventually escalated into a tremendous war in which Hylia herself fought, resulting in victory as well as her death. Another version of this story is told by the Happy Mask Salesman, although his version is not documented history. The Ancient Ones The various races of Hyrule originated from similar origins all across Mudora. The ancestors of humans, Hylian or not, are commonly referred to as the Ancient Ones. These people lived in tribes each exhibiting their own unique features. When the chaotic forces of those who sought the power of the Triforce began to spread and expand, Hylia spoke to her prophet and told him of the great battles to come. She split the Ancient Ones into different tribes, each with their purpose in the war to come. Faronites The first tribe designated by Hylia was the Tribe of Faron, the people of which called Faronites. These Ancient Ones descended into the forested valley where they built an elaborate temple, meant to house the Great Dragon Guardian known as Farosh. The Faronites lived simple lives in the tropical climate of the southern forests, their stonework intricate and beautiful. Their homes scaled cliff sides and they built enormous bridges and colinades along the river that would later be known as the River Hylia. Their lifestyles remained somewhat primitive yet civilized, hosting many shamanic rituals and worshipping the Golden Goddess Farore as their major deity. Of course the still believed in Hylia, but as they awaited the arrival of the Great Dragon, Farore became their patron deity. Faronites had mostly pale skin, sometimes a little tanned depending on exposure to sunlight. Their hair was brown or blond, with consistently blue eyes. Eldiners The Ancient Ones sent north to the rocky, warm mountains were called Eldiners. They were instructed by the prophet to build the temple of Great Guardian Dragon Dinraal as the place where he would descend and aid in the war. The Eldiners lived slightly more advanced life, with many inventive creations helping them mine the mountains for ore and coal. Just like the Faronites, they came to worship their patron deity Din, the Golden Goddess of Power. While they fought over space with the native Alfos, they managed to create a thriving culture atop the ashy mountains. They also made contact with the people of Goronia, a continent to the north of Mudora. The Gorons made many trade routes with the Eldiners, an alliance that would prove beneficial to Hylia’s ultimate battle against the hordes of evil. Eldiners were usually shaded from the sun by smoky ash of the volcano. Their skin tone was quite pale, hair colors ranging the whole spectrum of black to blond. Eye color was mostly browns and blues. Lanayrans The group of Ancient Ones sent to the western cliffs were called Lanayrans. They built their temple to the Dragon Naydra but it quickly became a place for technological advancement. The Lanayrans found that by living on the coast where storms were incredibly common, they could harness the power of the lightning that struck upon the ground. Once they were able to harness this power, they used it to fuel many new technologies, including the experimental race they referred to as “robots.” They would not only help Eldiners mine the mountain and Faronites build their sanctuaries, but also help in the war. The power of electricity would prove incredibly fatal when paired with the advanced weaponry of the Lanayrans. They were also able to harness the power of mysterious rocks they called Timeshift Stones, mined within the caverns of the oceanside cliffs. While they were a very finite resource, they were able to create timeloops of work for their robots, producing excessive amounts of assembly-line weapons and even more robots. Lanayrans spent a lot of time in the sun, rendering their skin tone darker than others. Their hair ranged from dark brown to red, eye colors usually golds, reds, and browns. The Book of Mudora and many scholars believe them to be the ancestors of the Gerudo people. Sheikah There was a fourth group of Ancient Ones with a particularly special task. This group included the prophet and his daughter Sarai, who would later become the vessel for Hylia. They had no designated home to speak of; instead, their role was to travel all across the land as missionaries and traders of knowledge. They were also tasked with gathering allies to bring back to Lanayru at the end of their journey. They succeeded in getting the help of Gorons, parella, as well as a few Ancient Ones from other tribes to tag along for the battle. The Sheikah tribe were the ancestors to the present day Shiekah and exhibited the same skin tone and smooth white or blond hair. Their eyes varied more in color, although the most common among them was a deep amber red. They kept to a nomadic and pious lifestyle, living mainly as monks and shamans. They were also the first Hylian tribe to exhibit pointed ears, starting with the prophet and Sarai. All other tribespeople had normally round ears. Other Races While the Ancient Ones were arguably the most prominent of the ancient races, there were others who inhabited the land of Mudora as well. The following links lead to their respective pages: * Gorons * Parella * Deku * Moblins * Alfos During the times before the events of Skyward Sword, Gorons were few and far between. The only Gorons spotted were nomadic merchants, traveling the world to explore and learn of new and strange cultures. The parella are considered to be the ancestors of the Zora tribe, although they looked far different from modern day representations. They were the children of the Dragon Faron and started migrating from the ocean when their home was threatened by aquatic monsters. The Deku played little to no role in the surface battles, although they did grow and develop alongside the Faronites in the forest. Moblins hailed from a distant land to the east called Oburin (Mobland), and only ventured to Mudora in search of the Triforce. Finally the Alfos fought with the Eldiners for territory amidst the mountains, ultimately keeping to themselves once they were pushed out. Some of them joined the ranks of those seeking the Triforce. The Surface War The conflict between Hylia’s allies and the hordes of evil culminated in a war that nearly wiped out Mudora’s diverse inhabitants. The battle was centered around the southern plateau, where the old city currently resides. During this battle, the goddess was forced to shed her immortal form and inhabit that of a human’s. It was the only way for her to successfully smite down the warmonger known as Demise. This successful act, however, resulted in Hylia sustaining grave injuries; she ultimately fell, directly after appointing her most trusted ally Defender of the Land. She used the last of her power to let it be that her hero would rise again when Demise was imminent. Demise The figurehead known as Demise carries with it several texts’ worth of speculation and theory. The Book of Mudora depicts Demise as a single entity who led those who opposed Hylia. He had a shadowy black figure with a mane of fiery-red hair, as well as a blade that could strike the very fabric of existence. Some theorists believe, however, that this description was only fabricated by those who wrote the Book, as a way to not only personify blasphemy and the fate of those who seek the Triforce, but also to somewhat exemplify the traits of those who do not follow Hylia. Demise is depicted as being the opposite of present-day Hylians, who are pale-skinned and light-haired. Some scholars believe Demise’s descriptions are nothing more than a xenophobic scare tactic to promote the strong bloodlines of Hylian families. The most probable answer is that Demise was not an entity at all, but a generalization of evil in the land. Some Hylian priests preach that Demise’s spirit was awakened when the Golden Goddesses created the Triforce, that with the existence of something so powerful there would always be those who would seek it for personal intentions. ”Demise” simply refers to the selfish nature within all of us to seek power for ourselves, and his spirit can be born in anyone. Skyloft When Hylia foresaw the coming battle, she knew most of her people would be wiped out. Unable to do anything more as a mortal, she made a preemptive decision to sanction away a small group to safety. She lifted into the sky an enormous isle called the Skyloft, and upon it she placed a group of Hylians of all tribes, including those with pointed ears from the Sheikah tribe (over time this trait would become dominant, resulting in all humans on Skyloft to be adorned with pointed ears). Then she put in place the Cloud Barrier, shielding the horrors of the war from the eyes of her protected people. Eventually, once she was able to strike down Demise, she sealed him in the valley created by the lifting of Skyloft. Then, once the Surface was restored and inhabitable once more, Skyloft would return to its original resting place and keep Demise sealed there forever. The Sky Era The events of Skyward Sword take place during the Sky Era, several centuries after the Surface War. During this time most human life has died out on the surface after the horrific battles, with the exception of some small tribes and villages. Demise has begun to stir again within his sealed prison, and a Hylia’s chosen hero has been reborn upon the Skyloft. Hylia herself has also been reincarnated, within the spirit of a young woman named Zelda. Zelda and the Chosen Hero, a man named Link, would go on to ensure Demise’s permanent sealing within the Sacred Grounds and return Skyloft to the surface once more. The temple built atop the Sacred Grounds came to be called the Temple of Time, and the new Kingdom of Hyrule was born around it. Queen Zelda and King Link became the first rulers of this kingdom, commencing the Era of Prosperity. Edited History During the events of the Hyrulean Civil War, a man known as Lusio based his plight against the Royal Family on the idea that the Book of Mudora is a work of fiction. He claims that all of history has been edited to serve the needs of the Hylian church, whatever they may be, and that if more people knew the truth they’d be less inclined to serve under one kingdom. His claims were somewhat backed up in the story told by the Happy Mask Salesman during one of Zelda’s visits to his his shop. He tells the story of a man named Shin who lived and served as one of the mortal Hylia’s trusted defenders. Shin’s story can be found on his page. In the story told by the Happy Mask Salesman, Hylia attempted several times to hold back the evil forces, with each failure resulting in the reversal of time in order to try again. She was not fighting against an entity known as Demise, but a mortal with the powers of a god: Majora. Majora did not seek the Triforce for personal gain but instead wished to dismantle the gods themselves after they smote her from her godhood. Two separate times Majora came close to ripping apart time and space, forcing Hylia to reverse time and become a mortal. She realized that Majora was the shadow to her light; one could not exist without the other. Thus, by becoming mortal herself, she could finally destroy Majora. Upon doing so, she reversed time once more, except in this timeline there was no Majora and the Triforce was hidden safely within the Sacred Realm. Before dying, Hylia made sure to send her group of Hylians to Skyloft, just in case something went wrong again. Many still sought ithe Triforce’s power and pillaged the many Surface tribes in order to find it, but they were unsuccessful thanks to the efforts of Link and Zelda. Many of the elements to this strange, unedited version of the story provided a sickly truth for Lusio: in this timeline, Hylia was never alive as a god; only a whisper of her presence lingered within the royal princess, always named Zelda. Hylia not only let her people fight for themselves, but only decided to save a few on Skyloft. The Sheikah who constantly serve the Royal Family serve false kings - it is those who fought for the land who deserve to rule it. Lusio’s main tenants became the desire to destroy the Royal Family from within, breaking its foundations and giving the land to the people. Category:World